NSPA accused of misusing state resources for elections

New data released by the Finance Ministry has revealed that NSPA spent MVR 170.2 million in April alone, bringing its total expenditure for the year to MVR 941 million as of April 13. The government has allocated MVR 1.9 billion for the fiscal year, and the opposition has accused the government of misusing state resources for election campaigns, which could lead to higher public spending and debt.

This accusation comes as NSPA has reportedly set up a desk in the constituency for the parliamentary by-election to K. Guraidhoo constituency held last weekend. The move has raised concerns about the impartiality of the election and the fairness of the process. The opposition has accused the government and NSPA of using state resources to sway the election in their favor.

The accusations of misuse of resources for elections have also led to indirect accusations from the Speaker of Parliament, Mohamed Nasheed, who has accused NSPA and the Aasandha government of misusing the MDP's presidential primaries held in January. This has raised concerns about the integrity of the election process and the potential for government interference.

The government has allocated a significant amount of money for NSPA, with MVR 1.9 billion for the entire fiscal year. However, according to ministry data, between January 1 and April 13, 2022, the budgetary expenditure of NSPA was MVR 636.9 million. This indicates that MVR 305 million was spent in the same period of the current fiscal as compared to the year ended. The opposition has raised concerns about the high level of spending by NSPA and the potential for mismanagement of funds.